You Will Be Safe Here was on the shortlist for The London Magazine Prize for Debut Fiction 2020, sponsored by DeHavilland. "The prize celebrates exceptional literary fiction." Congrats to everybody on the shortlist and thanks judges! This calls for a cocktail!”
Congrats to all the other shortlisted writers and thank you to the judges, The London magazine and the sponsors.
Click here for the full shortlist.
Read MoreDamian will be joining the Yeovil Community Arts Association Book Club on Tuesday 12th January 2021 at midday to talk about his novel You Will Be Safe Here. The meeting will take place remotely via Zoom.
The event is open to everyone. To join contact Somerset Loves to Read via Facebook or Twitter.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Read MoreDamian Barr talks to Anna Burnside about the success of Scottish writers in 2020 and picks his favourite books of last year and 2021.
Click here to read the full article.
Read MoreZoe Williams quotes Damian in her article for The Guardian about Gillian Anderson’s unnerving performance as Margaret Thatcher in The Crown.
Click here to read the quote and full article.
Read MoreSo here’s some news I never imagined sharing. I’ve been made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Some days I still can’t believe I get to be a writer: to have my books on shelves with names who change the world & how I see it. I grew up in a council house - today I’m a Fellow of the RSL. So thank you to them and the board. And thanks to my agent Clare Conville for always inspiring me and to every editor and reader who has taken a punt on my words. And thanks most of all to my Mum for showing me everybody has a story.
Read MoreIn an unlikely turn of events I’m a spread in The Sun. growing up, this was the most homophobic anti-culture paper and today it’s celebrating books and giving me a platform to challenge homophobia. How the world turns.
The article was published on Sunday 1st November 2020.
Read MoreDamian Barr, Catherine Cho and Frances Wilson are to judge Spread the Word’s Life Writing Prize 2021, which opens for entries on 2nd November 2020.
The prize, which is in its fifth year, offers the winner £1,500, an Arvon course, a writing mentor, two years’ membership of the Royal Society of Literature, and an optional development meeting with an agent and editor. Two highly commended writers each receive £500 and mentoring. It is for emerging writers who have not yet published full-length works and are not represented by literary agents.
The closing date for entries is 1 February.
For more info on how to enter click HERE.
Read MoreFor the latest Scots Whay Hae! podcast Ali caught up with Damian to talk all about the second series of The Big Scottish Book Club, which airs on BBC Scotland and BBC iPlayer.
Click HERE to listen to the podcast.
Read More#BigScottishBookClub returns this Sunday 25th Oct at 10pm on BBC Scotland and BBC iPlayer.
We've gone from four episodes to eight and our first show is all about memoir--something very close to my heart!
Following the critical success of the first series, Series Two will have eight episodes. The show will feature writers from across Scotland and around the UK, representing a thrilling spectrum of styles and genres, from fiction to non-fiction and poetry. We’ll hear from some world-famous writers as well as celebrating emerging talents, including world premieres of new books. Here's the full line up for the series:
Read MoreAcclaimed Brighton based author and presenter talks books, Brighton and being himself.
CLICK HERE to read the full article.
Read MoreFriday 23rd October 8-9pm (UK time)
Dolly Alderton goes deep on love, laughter and loss in her debut novel Ghosts.
Dolly Alderton really is our Nora Ephron – her observations, in her writing or on the High Low podcast, go right to the heart of whatever she’s trained her generous attention on. She makes us laugh and she makes us think and she reveals the profundity of seemingly everyday dramas. Her first novel, Ghosts, follows the runaway success of her memoir Everything I Know About Love.
Read MoreThe University of Glasgow is at the forefront of the flourishing creative writing scene in Scotland, so it’s a particular honour to be invited to take part in their Creative Conversation series. This year’s program features Bernardine Evaristo, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o and Sandy NicDhòmhnaill Jones, among others.
You can register for this free event HERE.
Read MoreThis is the first time one of my books has been published in a language other than English! I feel very lucky. Thank you to the translator Caroline Nicolas and the publisher Le Cherche Midi.
Read MoreThrilled that Shelf Isolation is up for an award at the Edinburgh TV Fest. Thank you to all my guests and biggest thanks of all to you for watching and sharing your enthusiasm for books and other joys on telly.
Edinburgh TV Awards 2020 nominees for Creativity In Crisis are:
Grayson's Art Club
History Hit Live
Hospital: Fighting Covid-19
Shelf Isolation
The Martin Lewis Money Show: A Coronavirus Special Live
The Big Night In
The Creativity in Crisis Award recognises the amazing content which is emerging at such a moment of crisis; stand out programming that has defied the odds and showcased creative brilliance.
Read MoreI'm honoured to be longlisted for 'HWA Debut Crown for the best work by a first-time historical fiction author' alongside: Rosanna Amaka, Sara Collins, Anita Frank, Juliet Grames, Louise Hare, Jane Healey, Tomasz Jedrowski, Jing-Jing Lee, Elizabeth Macneal, Kate Morrison and Lauren Wilkinson.
Congratulations all and thank you to the judges! Discover more about the awards at www.historiamag.com/hwa-crowns-longlists-2020.
Read MoreIn VERY exciting news you can now watch full Salon interviews, including the Q&A, with Salon On Demand! Don’t worry if you missed it live, you can still buy a ticket and access a special private YouTube film of the event. Now you can pause mid-thought to put the kettle on or fix yourself another cocktail. For just £5 you can watch anywhere, anytime, as many times as you like.
In our first Salon on Demand, Damian interviews SJ Watson, author of the global smash Before I Go To Sleep, about his dark new novel Final Cut. They also talk about breaking into publishing, being a working-class writer and how to plot a thriller.
SJ's jumpy new story is all about time and memory - how and what we remember and how and what we try to forget. It follows ambitious young documentary filmmaker Alex who wants to document life in a small village and finds herself mysteriously drawn to Blackwood Bay. Once prosperous it’s now run-down, and behind the faded facades there are more secrets than Alex could ever hope to find… Nothing exciting ever happens in Blackwood Bay – or does it?
It's a joy to have SJ back at the Salon as he continues pushing the boundaries of the genre he’s celebrated for reinvigorating.
Salon On Demand tickets are just £5 and available here. Enjoy!
Read MoreThis year the Edinburgh International Book Festival will be curating a special online edition of the festival from 15th-31st August, enjoy events for adults and children for free. Through the magic of technology, they’ll be crossing continents and time zones to beam events from more than 30 countries straight into your home. There will also be digital chatrooms and Q&A sessions, and you'll even be able to meet the author and get your books signed (selected events).
You can catch Damian throughout the festival when he’ll be talking to Garth Greenwell, Douglas Stuart and Andrew O’Hagan.
Click HERE for more info on how to watch the events.
Read MoreTo commemorate London Pride 2020, the British Library have released a conversation between Armistead Maupin and Damian Barr, recorded at the British Library Knowledge Centre on 10 February 2014. Maupin was touring the world promoting the final instalment of Tales of The City, which was entitled The Days of Anna Madrigal.
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